Economists work with numbers to understand the world and to propose policy to improve it.
Becoming an economist can be very rewarding, but it is a long journey and takes specific skills to succeed.
But What Does An Economist Really Do?
Economists study the relationship between a society's resources and its output at the local, national, or even global scale.
Day to day:
Collect data and conduct surveys.
Choose an appropriate mathematical method to investigate a relationship between societal measures.
Analyze social, political, and economics trends.
Present scientific reports.
Advise political leaders and policy makers.
Teach students and/or community members economic principles.
Review the latest economic studies and data.
Quiz
What question might an economist work to solve?
Where Is There? And How Do I Get There?
Economists typically work for universities, governments, large corporations, and policy think tanks.
Most economists have a Masters degree or Ph.D. and have studied advanced mathematics, statistics, history, public policy, and other subjects.
Is This Career For Me?
Economists are...
Investigative: working with ideas and uncovering facts to solve problems
Conventional: following set routines and objective tasks like data input
Enterprising: designing and carrying out long term projects with a team
Skills needed...
Mathematical: calculating with algebra, calculus, and statistics
Analytical: evaluating cause and effect and complexity
Scientific: developing a hypothesis and designing measures to test a theory
This Isn't The Career For You if...
You have no desire to be sitting in an office all day.
You want to be in a person-facing role engaging with different people.
You don't enjoy working with numbers.
It's All About That $$$$
In the U.S. the typical annual salary is $91,873 USD.
In Canada the typical annual salary is $69,025 CAD.
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